Vya
★ 4.6 · 84 reviews Portland Opened 27 February 2026
Paella and late-night tapas in the old Palomar room
Order the vegan paella first. It's built on a real housemade stock instead of the usual shortcuts, and it holds its own against the classic versions on the menu.
Vya runs as much bar as restaurant, staying open until 11pm on weekends with a rooftop for warmer months. Get a pan for the table and graze through the tapas list while it cooks.
What guests say
Reviews by Google-
Kelsey H 196 reviews · Local Guide 14 August 2026
Wow. The food and cocktails were exceptional. The service was great! Absolutely love my dinner here. I need more of that empanada in my life. 🤤
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Eric Ziegenhagen 39 reviews · Local Guide 8 August 2026
Fantastic for a birthday dinner. Every ingredient felt special, from everything in the paella to the tomato salad to the hamachi. Excellent service too, with the team working together, which felt like constant hospitality without interrupting. Can't wait to go back.
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Winnie Tan 151 reviews · Local Guide 5 August 2026
First visit with high expectations and we were not disappointed. Tight menu though well curated and delicious…. beats having a long list of choices. The paella was truly fantastic - the flavours, texture, and the socarrat. Yums. Had such fun sharing our old spanish wines with the team…. Thank you to Tony, Mia and the crew for the great service and your generosity. Hope to be back!
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Kelsey Yount 3 reviews 11 July 2026
I had such a great experience at Vya last night, the food was absolutely incredible and our server Tony was 10/10 attentive and knowledgeable about the menu. Everything I tasted was beyond delicious and affordable. If you’re looking for a tapas spot, this is it! Shout out to the manager Maja who came over and checked in on us all evening, she was so kind and eager to make sure we were having a great time. We finished the night off with desert and my god, it was divine. Thank you for the fabulous evening Vya!
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Steve Kassing 32 reviews · Local Guide 29 June 2026
Get the Paella. But the tapas are awesome too. TL:DR The food and the staff makes this a place worth repeating. 5/5 will return. We dropped in without reservations on Saturday night. Luckily they had a couple of tables. Maya, the FOH manager seated us and took care of our initial drink orders. Kayla (and brand new server Ally in training) was our server. Everyone had a great knowledge of the menu, ingredients, and helped make recommendations (even Ally on her 1st day!). We had great interactions with all of them. Super friendly, super knowledgeable, and they all were working hard all night long. There is a small bowl of quicos (corn nuts to us Americans) on the table. Nice Spanish touch to start you out. We ordered a Paella but since it is an approx 45min wait for it to be made, also ordered some Patatas Bravas and Croquettas. The Patatas were great. The brava sauce is spicy (which I love) and thick. The black garlic aioli was nice but a bit underwhelming. I would have much preferred the house made regular aioli (that they put on the Paella) with the Patatas Bravas. Would still order again as is. The Croquettas were amazing. Perfect crunch on the outside while soft and piping hot on the inside. The dough was perfectly seasoned and flavorful. I love making Croquettas at home and wish mine came out this perfect. My only complaint is that there were only 3 on the plate. Was hoping for at least four. Will absolutely order one (or two) plates of these next time I come. While waiting for the Paella, one of the owners, Tony, stopped by to apologize for the wait. Paella is not supposed to be fast, we told him as much, and told him how well his staff was doing. He returned shortly with our Paella. Presentation was superb. Dug in and was pleasantly surprised to find a perfect Socorat (slightly burnt layer of rice at the bottom that should be present on any good Paella). The chicken in the dish was cooked perfectly, moist and delicious. The shrimp, clams, and mussels all added such great flavors and balance to the dish. The rice tasted of the tomato sofrito. And topped with a baked lemon so that you could squeeze it in the dish if you want. It is enough Paella for between 2-4 people, depending on how hungry you are. My wife is Spanish and makes a mean Paella. She said she loved this Paella and gave it her Spaniard vote of approval. One bit of feedback on the Paella (from my wife) is that there was no bread with the dish (although they do have a bread offering on the menu for an extra charge). In Spain small slices of bread should be served with the dish so that you can push the rice onto your fork. We let Tony know this. He was eager to get my wife’s opinion and feedback. A sign that the restaurant listens to its customers and is interested in constant improvement. We ended the night with an order of the Basque cheesecake (with fresh strawberries). Wow, nailed it. Without a doubt we will be back.
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